Coronavirus

Quoted from smokey111

I have given Johnson or a Tory government little praise but one thing any Tory government since the mid 80s has been prepared for is civil unrest. So although I know you are not deliberately scaremongering, I very much doubt such a scenario would ever arise. Any disturbance would be quickly nipped in the bud.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

I have refrained from comment on this and am not saying anything about what the government should do or should have done about the virus per se.

There are people who cannot see past the end of their noses. We saw mild evidence at the weekend what happens when you try to deprive people of their liberty through "advice". It would be no different if it was an order. The weekend showed it is impossible to police without the consent of the people and that will be the case even if the army is used, even if checkpoints are set up and that is assuming if there were enough police and soldiers to do it throughout the country for a period of 3 or more months.

The government contains fools but it also contains brains and those brains know that the next step after that could be civil disorder, possibly on a large scale. The sacking of shelves in supermarkets would become wholesale looting and the authorities would not be able to contain that while providing support to the vulnerable at the same time.

It is not hard to envisage that next stage, particularly in London where looting of all premises would soon become fair game to the criminal elements and the chancers. Once it starts it is hard to stop as we saw with Brixton for instance, and it can start in an instant from just one flashpoint.

That is why the government has been so reluctant to move too fast in the direction of compulsion, IDs and bureaucratic nightmares of official rationing that will lead to black markets and survival of the fittest and richest. It has nothing to do with the actual virus and everything to do with avoiding a breakdown in public order. It is no good comparing the UK with Italy, Spain, China or Mars .... this is the UK and this is now.

I am not scaremongering about some doomsday scenario here, just saying - think about it and when we ask for more and more repressive measures, think that every action the government makes has a consequence. Some of them are not intentional.

It is a holding operation. As I said to my mate yesterday, Boris is desperately trying to avoid taking the "dem" out of "pandemic" because he is rightly sh1t scared of what it leaves behind.

Quoted from Perkins

Unfortunately, while obviously trying to do his best, Boris doesnt seem to have the authoritarian persona required for his "speaking to the nation" broadcasts. In fact he looks like a rabbit cought in the headlights. Did anyone notice his white knuckles in last nights broadcast?
I know its his job in times of crisis to appear in front of the cameras, but he lacks the statesmanlike demeanor required at times like these. Having said that, unfortunately the days of real statesmen are gone.
Chucrhill was a bloody disaster for most of his political life, but what he did have was the prescence and the oratorial skills to bring the British people together at a time of great crisis and pesuade everyone to pull in the same direction. Im not trying to score any political points because at the moment i cant off the top of my head think of anyone in any party who would be up to the job, but maybe better to leave the updates to the professionals.

Quoted from TheRonRaffertyFanClub

I have refrained from comment on this and am not saying anything about what the government should do or should have done about the virus per se.

There are people who cannot see past the end of their noses. We saw mild evidence at the weekend what happens when you try to deprive people of their liberty through "advice". It would be no different if it was an order. The weekend showed it is impossible to police without the consent of the people and that will be the case even if the army is used, even if checkpoints are set up and that is assuming if there were enough police and soldiers to do it throughout the country for a period of 3 or more months.

The government contains fools but it also contains brains and those brains know that the next step after that could be civil disorder, possibly on a large scale. The sacking of shelves in supermarkets would become wholesale looting and the authorities would not be able to contain that while providing support to the vulnerable at the same time.

It is not hard to envisage that next stage, particularly in London where looting of all premises would soon become fair game to the criminal elements and the chancers. Once it starts it is hard to stop as we saw with Brixton for instance, and it can start in an instant from just one flashpoint.

That is why the government has been so reluctant to move too fast in the direction of compulsion, IDs and bureaucratic nightmares of official rationing that will lead to black markets and survival of the fittest and richest. It has nothing to do with the actual virus and everything to do with avoiding a breakdown in public order. It is no good comparing the UK with Italy, Spain, China or Mars .... this is the UK and this is now.

I am not scaremongering about some doomsday scenario here, just saying - think about it and when we ask for more and more repressive measures, think that every action the government makes has a consequence. Some of them are not intentional.

It is a holding operation. As I said to my mate yesterday, Boris is desperately trying to avoid taking the "dem" out of "pandemic" because he is rightly sh1t scared of what it leaves behind.

Quoted from Chazzer

The topic is certainly generating a healthy debate on here today with people split pretty much 50/50 agreeing and disagreeing with posts. Many of them are well put and articulate.